Banning of the burka is bonkers

I FAIL to see why Cllr Joe O’Callaghan deems it necessary or desirable for the Minister for Justice to ban the wearing of the burka in public places (News, August 19).

The wearing of the burka (as well as the hijab and niqab) is a complex issue — one that has been debated in other European societies for decades with no satisfactory outcome.

The wearing of the hijab by students in schools in Ireland was raised in 2008, but died away by the time the then government deferred to boards of management to make individual decisions, but only after they consulted with all stakeholders, and also took into consideration equality legislation. Since then, I know of no school that has attempted to ban the hijab, which is to be welcomed.